Politics

Government, policy, institutions, and political power dynamics.

All Policy Elections Governance Law & Justice Diplomacy

Briefing: Meet the co-founder of Airbnb: How a weekend scheme to pay the rent turned into an industry giant

Strategic angle: Airbnb was first dreamed up in 2008, with people initially asking 'how could you trust a stranger ever in your own home?' In 2025, $92 billion was transacted on the platform. So how did they do it?

editorial-staff Mar 23

Politics

Briefing: What's next for Germany's troubled car giants?

Strategic angle: German automakers are in a crisis due to stagnant sales, falling profits and constant strategy shifts. Can the industry recover?

editorial-staff Mar 23

Politics

Briefing: Trump installs Columbus statue in White House campus

Strategic angle: The Columbus statue installed near the White House is a replica of the one tossed in Baltimore's Inner Harbor in 2020 amid the Black Lives Matter protests.

editorial-staff Mar 23

Politics

Briefing: France local elections: Paris stays left as far-right makes mixed gains

Strategic angle: The results offered an early snapshot of France’s political balance before 2027. Here are the main takeaways.

editorial-staff Mar 23

Politics

Briefing: 'The oil shock in the Middle East is a godsend for Russia'

Strategic angle: By joining Israel in its war against Iran, Donald Trump is handing Vladimir Putin an unexpected economic and strategic reprieve, explains Le Monde columnist Stéphane Lauer.

editorial-staff Mar 23

Politics

Briefing: UN issues new climate warning as El Niño looms

Strategic angle: The Earth's climate is further out of balance than at any time in recorded history, the UN's weather agency says.

editorial-staff Mar 23

Politics

Briefing: Earth's climate more unbalanced than ever, WMO warns

Strategic angle: The world's oceans have broken heat records for nine straight years, glaciers are retreating and extreme weather is killing thousands.

editorial-staff Mar 23

Politics

Briefing: Asia stocks slide as US and Iran threaten to intensify war

Strategic angle: The International Energy Agency chief warned of a potential energy crisis due to escalating tensions.

editorial-staff Mar 23

Politics

Briefing: Slovenia election too close to call as PM claims victory in neck-and-neck race

Strategic angle: Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob declares victory in a tightly contested parliamentary election.

editorial-staff Mar 23

Politics

Briefing: Tom Homan confirms ICE to be at airports starting Monday

Strategic angle: ICE operations at airports set to begin next week, according to Tom Homan.

editorial-staff Mar 23

Politics

Briefing: 'Why was the threat of Iranian drones overlooked for so long?'

Strategic angle: Historian Jean-Pierre Filiu discusses the oversight of Iranian drone threats and Ukraine's response.

editorial-staff Mar 22

Politics

Briefing: France's Socialists hold onto power in major cities in election boost for mainstream

Strategic angle: Paris and Marseille are held by the Socialists in local elections which saw the nationalist right win in Nice and certain towns.

editorial-staff Mar 22

Politics

Slovenia votes: Liberals face right-wing populist challenge

Slovenia is taking to the polls Sunday in parliamentary elections that pit the governing liberal party and PM Robert Golob against former-PM Janez Jansa and his right-wing SDS party.

editorial-staff Mar 22

Politics

Briefing: French local elections expose left-wing infighting and RN's limits in big cities

Strategic angle: While the left managed to hold onto Paris, Lyon and Marseille, alliances forged with radical left La France Insoumise often failed against the right.

editorial-staff Mar 22

Politics

Briefing: Election in Rhineland-Palatinate: AfD achieves record result in western Germany

Strategic angle: In a surprising turn of events, the AfD has secured a historic vote share in the Rhineland-Palatinate state election.

editorial-staff Mar 22

Politics

Briefing: Merz's party leads, while far right makes gains in Germany's state election

Strategic angle: In Sunday's closely watched state election, both the far-right Alternative for Germany party and Chancellor Friedrich Merz's party, the Christian Democratic Union, made significant gains.

editorial-staff Mar 22

Politics

Briefing: Hawaii storms have caused $1bn in damage, governor says

Strategic angle: The full scale of the damages to roads and other infrastructure from rain and flooding in the state must still be assessed, Gov Josh Green says.

editorial-staff Mar 22

Politics

US and Israel attack Iran's Natanz nuclear facility, says Iran atomic energy organization

The organization added that there was 'no leakage of radioactive materials reported' in the area in central Iran.

editorial-staff Mar 22

Politics

Briefing: Europe's response to the relentless surge in energy and fuel costs from the war in Iran

Strategic angle: Brent crude topped €100 a barrel after the Strait of Hormuz was closed, prompting varied responses across Europe.

editorial-staff Mar 22

Politics

Briefing: Socialist incumbent Benoît Payan defeats far-right challenger in key Marseille mayoral election

Strategic angle: Benoît Payan secures victory in a significant political contest in Marseille.

editorial-staff Mar 22